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New Zealand Rugby mourns the loss of Hugh Burry

allblacks.com 21 Jun 2013

New Zealand's rugby community is mourning the loss of former All Black Hugh Burry who passed away earlier this week, aged 82.

Hugh Cameron Burry was born on 29 October 1930 in Christchurch. An athletic number 8 and solid tackler, Burry played in 11 All Blacks matches in 1960 against Australian and South African sides. He scored eight tries for the All Blacks, including a brace against a Rhodesian XV in Kitwe.

After retiring from the game, Burry became deeply involved in sports medicine – at a time when that discipline was still evolving – and he spent a lengthy time as Chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s Medical Advisory Committee.

New Zealand Rugby Chief Executive Steve Tew today paid tribute to the contribution that Burry had made to rugby.

“Hugh was a notable player in Canterbury sides throughout the 1950s and 1960s, balancing first class rugby with the considerable demands of medical practice. He continued to contribute to community rugby long after hanging up his boots, particularly focusing on player safety and welfare in his role on the Medical Advisory Committee.

“And while we continue to acknowledge and remember that wonderful contribution, today our thoughts are very much with Hugh’s family and the Canterbury rugby community,” Tew said.

Burry spent much of his retirement in Hanmer Springs but remained connected with his rugby roots as Patron of the New Brighton Rugby Football Club in Christchurch.